140 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



{Winge.) A summer migrant in Newfoundland, rare in Nova 

 Scotia, breeding in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Que- 

 bec and Ontario, apparently increasing in numbers to the west. 

 Stragglers are found on Hudson Bay and Spreadborough found 

 them breeding at Moose Factory, James Bay, June gth, 1896. 



This is a common species, breeding from Manitoba westward 

 through the prairie region, Rocky Mountains at Banff, and north 

 to Lat. 55°. British Columbia, from Kamloopsto the Pacific Coast. 

 Sir John Richardson places its northern limit at Lat. 62°, and 

 Bernard Ross places it on the Mackenzie River at Big Island in 

 nearly the same latitude. This species is unknown in Alaska. 



Breeding Notes. — Nesting in clumps of rushes and grass 

 growing in water. 'Nest rather compact consisting of grass placed 

 from six inches to one foot above the water. Young leave the 

 nest as soon as hatched. A nest was taken at Deep Lake, Indian 

 Head, Assa., on June 29th, 1892, which contained three eggs and 

 one young one just hatched, the young one was dark slate on the 

 back, below rather lighter, a chin patch of bright orange, almost 

 red, bill light horn-colour, except the base which was red. 

 {Spreadborouffh.) A well-known species in Ontario and more gen- 

 erally distributed than the Virginian Rail, though apparently not 

 breeding so plentifully in the St. Lawrence district. I met with 

 the bird on the Magdalen Islands in June, 1897, when on the 

 22nd of that month I found among bullrushes a nest containing 

 six eggs and young ones just hatched. The nest was a neat affair 

 constructed of last year's reeds and fastened to the stalks, in 

 water that was knee-deep and only a short distance from a sandy 

 bar, that divided a large pond from the sea. The first nest I 

 found in 1895, near the St. Lawrence, was built of grass stalks 

 in a tussock, where there was not much water. We have therefore 

 three species, the two Rails and the American Bittern that vary 

 their nesting location as well as the material they use, thus 

 showing that one must have considerable experience before lay- 

 ing down as hard and fast facts, the site and construction of nests. 

 (Rev. C.J. Young.) Found breeding at Reaburn, Manitoba, and 

 Buffalo Lake, Alberta. {Dippie.) This species, like the Virginia 

 Rail, breeds in all marshes of sufficient size throughout Western 

 Ontario. (W. Saunders.) 



In a marshy lake grown up with Carex aristata, within a couple 

 of miles of Crane Lake, Assa., the writer took a number of nests 



